Small studies have also shown that tea tree oil in combination with lavender oil can kill lice eggs and reduce the number of live lice. Tea tree oil seems to be relatively safe for use on the skin, although it can cause irritation or swelling for some. Remember, though, that it is poisonous if swallowed.
Tea tree oil plays a crucial role in fighting head lice and is often cited as a great ingredient to find in kids hair products. It's completely safe and 100% natural, so it soothes the scalp without causing any skin irritations.
Keep it overnight, or keep it on for 30-40 minutes before you go for your hair wash. For Getting Rid Of Lice: Tea tree oil for hair can help get rid of lice, mix about 7-8 drops with a spoon of any vegetable oil and leave it overnight.
Tea tree oil contains two major constituents with insecticidal activity: 1,8-cineole and terpinen-4-ol. A study in Parisitology Research has found that a 1 percent tea tree oil solution is capable of killing 100 percent of head lice within 30 minutes.
Permethrin lotion, 1%;
Permethrin lotion 1% is approved by the FDA for the treatment of head lice. Permethrin is safe and effective when used as directed. Permethrin kills live lice but not unhatched eggs. Permethrin may continue to kill newly hatched lice for several days after treatment.
Parents can either mix three to five drops of tea tree oil to every ounce of shampoo, or combine three tablespoons of carrier oil — like olive or coconut — with a teaspoon of tea tree oil and apply to infested hair for 30 to 40 minutes.
You can use it directly on the scalp, or it can also be used as a shampoo. You can use tea tree oil as a spray or mix it with coconut oil. The combination of olive and tea tree oils nourishes the scalp and reduces head lice.
Coconut, tea tree oil, lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon grass, and peppermint are scents popularly believed to repel lice. Using any coconut scented shampoo and conditioner is an easy way to increase your defense. At 1% concentration, tea tree oil killed 100% of head lice after 30 minutes.
Spinosad (Natroba). Spinosad is approved for adults and children age 6 months and older. It can be applied to dry hair and rinsed with warm water after 10 minutes. It kills lice and nits and usually doesn't need repeated treatment.
Eucalyptus oil is believed to be an ideal treatment because it kills lice as well as their eggs. One study determined that eucalyptus oil kills 100% of lice and their eggs in just one hour.
Heat Method:
Products such as Lousebuster are very effective but even a home hairdryer can successfully treat lice. DO NOT USE HAIRDRYER WITH MEDICATED TREATMENTS OR TREATMENTS THAT CONTAIN ALCOHOL--THESE PRODUCTS CAN CAUSE FIRE AND SEVERE BURNS TO YOUR CHILD!
Sometimes it will be easier to remove the nits if you wet the hair with white vinegar while you are combing the nits out. Vinegar helps loosen the "glue" that holds the nits to the hair. Separate and comb small sections of hair at a time.
The only way to prevent them from hatching would be to remove them with a good metal nit comb, or your fingernails. Nits are laid by the mother and attached with a glue she formulates, to sit on the hair shaft in the perfect spot to incubate and hatch.
The researchers found that tea tree and peppermint oil repelled lice the most, and a tea tree and lavender combination kept some lice from biting people with treated skin. Overall, tea tree oil was the most effective, followed by DEET, coconut, and a botanical mixture.
Lice are attracted to the blood they get through your scalp – short, long, clean or dirty.
Olive Oil smothers and kills active head lice, making nit removal easier and moisturizing the hair and scalp. Part hair and apply the oil directly onto the scalp. Massage into the entire scalp making sure to saturate the hair. Apply a shower cap.
Vinegar contains properties that kill and get rid of nits and lice. This mixture should be applied directly to the whole scalp. Mix 1 cup of vinegar with 1 cup of warm water. Next, distribute this mixture onto the scalp and cover your hair with a hair cap.
Nits are often confused with other things found in the hair such as dandruff, hair spray droplets, and dirt particles. If no live nymphs or adult lice are seen, and the only nits found are more than ¼-inch from the scalp, the infestation is probably old and no longer active and does not need to be treated.
You Have to Treat Them
Head lice will not go away on their own. If you think your child has an infestation, there are several steps you should take right away. Call your doctor to confirm the diagnosis. Notify your child's day care or school so other students can be checked.
It is not usually possible to get rid of lice in one day, as an infestation needs to be treated. However, there are treatments that can help get rid of lice and symptoms caused by lice more quickly. Lice infestations must first be treated by improving the hygiene of the infected person.
Suffocate the Lice
Soak your child's head in olive oil or coconut oil. Cover with a shower cap for at least 2 hours (or preferably overnight). When ready, remove the shower cap, and separate the hair into small sections, then use a metal nit comb to carefully remove the lice and eggs. Rinse the hair well with shampoo.
Washing, soaking, or drying items at a temperature greater than 130°F can kill both head lice and nits. Dry cleaning also kills head lice and nits. Only items that have been in contact with the head of the infested person in the 48 hours before treatment should be considered for cleaning.
Medieval folklore suggests that lard was used to try and suffocate lice and nits off of a scalp. Others propose simply keeping the hair combed through and clean was of so little a priority that no one even bothered with lice.
Repeat treatment every day or every other day for 2 weeks. Some lice eggs (nits) survive head lice treatments. The only way to be sure that lice won't come back is to pick out all nits. Nits left on the hair can hatch and cause a new case of head lice.